Israel faces summer travel chaos as US aircraft hog ai
Ynetnews • • world
Key Points:
- Transport Minister Miri Regev warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that without a rapid solution to the parking shortage at Ben Gurion Airport, over 2.4 million summer and holiday flight tickets could be canceled, affecting national morale and the economy.
- The shortage is primarily due to about 72 U.S. refueling aircraft occupying more than half of Ben Gurion Airport’s parking capacity, with an additional 26 aircraft at Ramon Airport taking up around 90% of parking spaces.
- Regev urged relocating some U.S. aircraft to Israeli Air Force bases or other civilian airstrips to free up space, emphasizing ongoing but currently unfeasible talks to move the aircraft to nearby countries.
- The Israel Airports Authority faces a June 16 deadline to notify airlines of potential cancellations, with the Airports Authority CEO warning that one in every four passengers may receive cancellation notices if no action is taken.
- Regev stressed the economic risks, including billions of shekels in damage to airlines, tourism, and Israel’s aviation reputation, and called for immediate government intervention to prevent a crisis.